By Michael Smith
One of the most persistent criticisms of home-schooling is the accusation that home-schoolers will not be able to fully participate in society because they lack "socialization." It's a challenge that reaches right to the heart of home-schooling, because if a child isn't properly socialized, how will that child be able to contribute to society?
Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.
Proving academic success is relatively straightforward. Today, it is accepted that home-schoolers, on average, outperform their public school peers. The most recent study, "Homeschool Progress Report 2009," conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, surveyed more than 11,000 home-schooled students. It showed that the average home-schooler scored 37 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than the public school average.
The second myth, however, is more difficult to address because children who were home-schooled in appreciable numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s are only now coming of age and in a position to demonstrate they can succeed as adults.
Home-school families across the nation knew criticisms about adequate socialization were ill-founded — they had the evidence right in their own homes. In part to address this question from a research perspective, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned a study in 2003 titled "Homeschooling Grows Up," conducted by Mr. Ray, to discover how home-schoolers were faring as adults. The news was good for home-schooling. In all areas of life, from gaining employment, to being satisfied with their home-schooling, to participating in community activities, to voting, home-schoolers were more active and involved than their public school counterparts.
Until recently, "Homeschooling Grows Up" was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled "Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults" from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.
When measured against the average Canadians ages 15 to 34 years old, home-educated Canadian adults ages 15 to 34 were more socially engaged (69 percent participated in organized activities at least once per week, compared with 48 percent of the comparable population). Average income for home-schoolers also was higher, but perhaps more significantly, while 11 percent of Canadians ages 15 to 34 rely on welfare, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income for home-schoolers. Home-schoolers also were happier; 67.3 percent described themselves as very happy, compared with 43.8 percent of the comparable population. Almost all of the home-schoolers — 96 percent — thought home-schooling had prepared them well for life.
This new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. Being home-schooled has not closed doors on career choices.
The results are a great encouragement to all home-schooling families and to parents thinking about home-schooling. Home-schoolers, typically identified as being high academic achievers, also can make the grade in society.
Both "Homeschooling Grows Up" and "Fifteen Years Later" amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path. This story copied from here
To read the full study or a synopsis, visit www.hslda.ca/cche.
Melissa, if being "socialized" means subjecting oneself to bullies without adequate protection, then, yes, homeschooled children are not adequately socialized.
ReplyDeleteI have been appalled to learn of the rampant bullying that takes place in our schools and on our school busses. It happened to my children all through school and to my son even in tech school. It happened to my grandsons, even though there was an "anti-bullying law" in force.
The anger that our kids feel when bullied is something that scares me to death. How many times now have we seen students come to school fully armed and prepared to mow down their classmates... the ones who bully them directly and the ones that know it goes on and don't do anything to help? Compare that with how many times a homeschooled kid goes off their nut. I think that's evidence enough.
I truly believe our public schools are rapidly becoming a relic that needs to be totally rethought. Truly good teachers cannot teach because their time is taken up by dealing with unruly children, using methods that do not work, and by record-keeping. When I compare the things I had to know, in 1965, in order to graduate, with what the average kid today needs to know, I can say that I have personally seen "The dumbing down of America".
Kids in middle school these days act like little animals. Had I known it was possible to homeschool my children when my kids were that age, I would've done so. And had I not had to hold down a full-time job by the time we adopted our grandsons, I would've homeschooled them.
Socialization, my Aunt Fanny.
I have 2 friends recently that both their kids were bullied (at public school) to the point of having to go to the doctor - one was a little girl in Blanchard where another little girl pushed her to the ground and then stepped on her head and they thought it broke her nose.
ReplyDeleteThe other was a boy around 10 in Norman who is afraid to go back to school after this holiday break.
I love the fact that I am able to homeschool. I feel especially blessed when I hear these horror stories -- the 2 kids that were bullied really are good kids - they are just probably not one of the "popular" kids - so they get picked on - it's really sad because in both schools the schools are doing nothing to the bullies.
Great article. I actually participated in the 2003 HSLDA survey of home-educated adults. The socialization argument is such a tired one. I think the socialization problem is actually WITH so many of the kids in public school.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more Nicki - I actually think PS kids are LESS socialized - sitting at a desk next to someonee and having to be quiet is not socialization - visiting nursing homes and interacting with people of all ages is socializing - if anything, I think HS kids can talk to any age group, young or older - that's socialization. On a side note though, I believe if the parents of HS kids are social or active the kids tend to be more social and active and vice versa.
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